California legislators claim they wrote the bill not only for the prospective jobs but also because Tesla would fight against climate change with its zero-emission vehicles.

One Capitol staffer implied that the bill might entail some changes in the California Environmental Quality Act.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on Tuesday that his company might want to start preliminary work in three potential locations to jump-start its progress: “We’re probably going to do two or maybe three states all the way to creating a foundation and completing the plans and getting approval.”

It’s not surprising California is making a last-ditch effort to woo Tesla; Musk had said California was an unlikely choice because “circuitous project-approval process could take too long.” Musk figures the 10 million-square-foot factory will be finished by 2017.